Common hand and wrist conditions: creation of UK research priorities defined by a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership

Abstract

ObjectivePrioritisation of important treatment uncertainties for ‘Common Conditions Affecting the Hand and Wrist’ via a UK-based James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.SettingThis process was funded by a national charitable organisation and based in the UK.ParticipantsAnyone with experience of common conditions affecting the adult hand and wrist, including patients, carers and healthcare professionals. All treatment modalities delivered by a hand specialist, including therapists, surgeons or other allied professionals, were considered.InterventionsEstablished James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership methods were employed.Electronic and paper questionnaires identified potential uncertainties. These were subsequently confirmed using relevant, up-to-date systematic reviews. A final list of top 10 research uncertainties was developed via a face-to-face workshop with representation from patients and clinicians. Impact of research was sought by surveying hand clinicians electronically.Outcome measuresThe survey responses and prioritisation—both survey and workshop based.ResultsThere were 889 individually submitted questions from the initial survey, refined to 59 uncertainties across 32 themes. Eight additional uncertainties were added from published literature before prioritisation by 261 participants and the workshop allowed the final top 10 list to be finalised. The top 10 has so far contributed to the award of over £3.8 million of competitively awarded funding.ConclusionsThe Common Conditions in the Hand and Wrist Priority Setting Partnership identified important research questions and has allowed research funders to identify grant applications which are important to both patients and clinicians

Greener Operations: a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership on environmentally sustainable peri-operative practice

“…Whilst the JLA process aims to engage a broad range of respondents, it is not uncommon for PSPs to have an imbalance in the background of survey respondents. [25][26][27][28] Our PSP had a preponderance of healthcare professional respondents, with 78.2% fitting into this category across both surveys. Our use of internet-based approaches e.g., social media and online surveys, may have contributed to the imbalance of respondents, as the likelihood of having had an operation (therefore feeling more informed to comment on the peri-operative process) increases with age, whereas internet usage is inversely proportional to age.…”

Academic Impact of Hand Surgery Units Across the United Kingdom: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Steps are being made to address both the gaps in knowledge in hand surgery and the UK's role in contributing to this research. The James Lind Alliance, a UK-based non-profit organisation, together with the BSSH, curated a list of research priorities concerning common hand and wrist conditions [20]. This priority-setting partnership allowed the identification of the research questions at hand, which, when answered, would yield the greatest impact for patients and health care providers alike.…”

A proposed methodology for uncertainty extraction and verification in priority setting partnerships with the James Lind Alliance: an example from the Common Conditions Affecting the Hand and Wrist Priority Setting Partnership

“…The full PSP methodology for collating submitted research questions is detailed in the full PSP output and executive report [ 3 ].…”

“…In 2017, The Common Conditions Affecting the Hand and Wrist PSP, funded by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) and managed by a multi-centre, multidisciplinary steering group, reported the top prioritised research uncertainties to map out a framework for future clinical research in common hand conditions. The broader process and results of this PSP are published separately [ 3 ].…”